Flexible working - as with a PDA, you can use your smartphone to take notes, review and edit your appointments, contacts and documents, all while you're on the move.

Information at your fingertips - more and more services are being made available on smartphones, from access to maps, satnav and directions to television transmissions with news coverage or weather reports to traffic information and scheduling alerts - which means your business can always stay one step ahead of what's going on.

Examples of products and companies included in this guide do not in any way imply endorsement or recommendation. Bear in mind that prices quoted are indicative at the time it was published. Smartphones combine the functionality of PDAs, wireless PCs, phones, and even digital cameras in one handset, making them a powerful business tool.

Never out of touch - you can connect to the internet for e-mail and web access 'on the move', or connect to your computer network to access relevant data, wherever you are, making it easier for remote workers, or a mobile workforce to stay in touch with the business.

Better information sharing - considerably more data can be received and transmitted via a smartphone, such as large e-mail attachments or data files from websites. Previous mobiles could only manage small e-mails without attachments.

Greater functionality - many models offer built-in digital cameras with immediate snap and send functionality, so remote workers or offsite staff can instantly photograph and send images or videos of anything from supplier's goods to site inspections or damaged warehouse machinery. Smartphones could offer you a new way of marketing to customers, Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) lets you include animation, graphics and music in a message.

Faster communication - web access is quicker than in previously available mobiles, making it easier to access e-mail and information from the Net. Some models and carriers offer an 'always-on' internet access service making connection easier.

is4profit Ltd and the DTI are not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion in, or exclusion from, the above list does not imply recommendation, endorsement or otherwise of any company, product or service. Remember that technologies and markets change rapidly so it is always wise to undertake your own independent research.